Memorizing Barrons 3,500 word list, worth it?

evanescenteuphoria
Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:47:52 +0000

i strongly disagree with barron’s wordlist. i went through it TWICE a year ago. I am sure that I know at least 95%+ of those words there and yet I still get about 1 SC wrong (of 3) in each section. However, just as xiggi says, the SAT really tests the various connotations of simpler words. Occasionally they may throw in 1 or 2 questions in every section that have “difficult” words, but you can often look at the roots of the word to figure it out. I’m not saying you should not memorize a wordlist. However, just do not memorize Barrons. MOST of those words never appear on the SAT. Memorize a smaller wordlist and really understand all the connotations of those words. Always use a dictionary when you read. Also, read copiously magazines, newspapers, etc…